Tuesday, March 11, 2008

One of my very dear friends, Nicky Hilton, debuted her fall line the other evening at L.A. Fashion Week... and it was off the hook! Nicky's high-end line, Nicholai, is sophisticated, edgy and seriously sexy!!! I can't wait to buy the entire collection! But onto the beauty...

We were granted an **exclusive** backstage pass to check out the hair and makeup for the show!

Lori Taylor, Smashbox Cosmetics Lead Artist, spoke to us about her beauty inspiration. She said, "the collection has an equestrian influence.. like a society lady... naughty, not stuffy." She described the look as The Avengers or Amanda Peel.

For the eyes - a sophisticated, smokey cat eye. More high fashion. Taylor used the Smashbox Twilight Trio of black, silver and white. She then added false eyelashes to the outer corner to intensify the effect.

The skin had to be perfect. "The people who buy these clothes are people who are conscious about the way they look," explains Taylor. "They're high fashion and healthy." Taylor used Smashbox's High Definition Foundation and Camera Ready Concealer. She didn't want the skin to look powdery or dewey, but natural and flawless.

The cheeks were all about shimmer. Taylor wanted to highlight the natural cheekbone so she added lots of shimmer to the area.

For lips, Taylor used two red glosses. She wanted the look to be sheer, moist lips. Taylor combined Starlit and Spark and blotted onto the lips to give them that "stain" effect.

Taylor's must-have Smashbox product: Bionic Mascara - Taylor said that the new mascara (just launched in February) is actually infused with ions (like a bio-ionic flat iron) so it gives mega shine to the lashes! She used it on all the girls during fashion week!

Here are some pictures from the Nicholai Fall 2008 Fashion Show:

**Thanks to Nicky and Smashbox for giving us a behind-the-scenes peak into L.A. Fashion Week!!!